


For Once in my Life (January)

by jamesgatz1925



Series: Valentine Challenge [12]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Angst, Canon Typical Violence, Established Relationship, Gun Violence, Love, M/M, Song fic, Songfic, i dont know how to tag this, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 23:04:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13669143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamesgatz1925/pseuds/jamesgatz1925
Summary: Sonny is in danger.





	For Once in my Life (January)

Sonny was having a good day. The sun was shining in January, snow was melting, and the chill of the air was just this side of comfortable. Sonny woke up next to the love of his life, they kissed each other awake, then they left to their respected offices.

Sonny thought nothing of getting a call. It was normal, a routine scene to check out, and although he felt bad for the victim, he still found himself whistling on the way to the scene.

“A poor little girl is shaken up,” Rollins reminded him. “Try not to act like you’re living your best life.”

“I am livin’ my best life,” he argued. “But you’re right. I’ll dial it down.”

The poor victim was a small girl who was assaulted by a stranger. It was a routine call, one they got too often, and Sonny wondered if his still cheery demeanor was because he was just happy with life or because, unfortunately, he was used to this stuff.

No matter, he put on the seriousness by the time they rolled up to the apartment building. It was a raggedy building, so Sonny was immediately put on high alert.

The mother suspected it was someone from the building because the little girl had been playing in the small courtyard with some other kids, so after they got all they could from the poor little girl, Sonny and Rollins began the trek of interviewing every apartment who could have possibly seen anything.

Sonny thought nothing of going door to door. He was used to it. It was a regularity in his line. He spoke to many people a call because of this.

Everyone was friendly, but of course nobody saw anything. It wasn’t the toughest interviews they’d ever gone through, and thankfully the building had a camera so they could at least see for themselves what happened.

They came to the final apartment to look through, not expecting any promise.

“We could get lucky,” Rollins said as Sonny knocked.

“Why am I doubting there’s any luck on the other side of this door?” Sonny asked.

There was no reply when they knocked, so Sonny knocked again.

“NYPD,” he repeated. “Just wanna ask you a few questions.”

“It’s open!” a man called from the other side.

Rollins flashed Sonny a confused look, so Sonny reached for his gun before pushing the door open and stepping into the apartment.

A bare living room was seen immediately, so Sonny and Rollins slowly stepped further in.

“Hello?” Rollins called out.

“In here,” the man said, his voice leading them into a bedroom.

When they turned the corner and finally saw him, they saw a gun held to his own chin.

“Hey, wow!” Sonny cried.

“I didn’t mean to,” the man said, tears falling out of his eyes. “I never mean to! It just happens and I can’t stop it!”

Sonny withdrew his gun slowly, his heart hammering in his chest and sweat already falling from his brow. He knew he shouldn’t expect a ‘normal’ call anymore, but he had high hopes that this one would have gone on without a hitch. Now they had a man with a gun.

“What’s your name?” Sonny asked.

“Ken,” the man said, still crying.

Rollins’ gun was out, too. “Ken, can you tell us what happened?”

Ken confessed. He said he’d done this before, a few times, and that he deserved to die.

Sonny still talked him out of shooting himself. He talked Ken out of shooting him or Rollins, too, his blood pumping loudly in his ears the entire time.

Sonny was scared. This guy was crazy and he had a gun, of course he was scared.

It took a while, but eventually no shots were fired and Ken let Rollins take the gun. Sonny arrested him quickly and walked him down to the car.

When they got back to the precinct, Rafael was already waiting with Benson.

“What the hell happened?” Benson asked as Sonny walked Ken to the interrogation room.

Sonny was shaking. No shots were fired, everything was fine, but he was still nervous. He still felt a flash of having so much to live for and praying not to die. And why?

Sonny looked at Rafael.

That’s why.

Sonny had someone to fight for, something to live for. Sonny had a home with the man he loved, a life with him. Sonny had a career and a family and Rafael. All of his thoughts went back to Rafael. He didn’t want to leave Rafael. He never wanted to be apart from Rafael.

He needed Rafael now, badly. Sonny wasn’t thinking clearly. He was scared and nervous and still shaking.

He’d had a gun to him loads of times, not that the gun was even to him this time. But this time, Sonny really grappled with his own mortality. He desperately never wanted to be away from Rafael.

Sonny got the perp in the interrogation room, but paused in the door.

“Hey, Rollins, you mind if I take a breather a sec?”

Rollins nodded. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just...” Sonny caught a glimpse of Rafael walking into the hall with the bathroom. “Be right back.”

Sonny followed Rafael into the bathroom, which smelled too much of bleach and almost made Sonny sick. Maybe it was this whole situation making him sick.

Rafael was peeing when Sonny burst into the room.

“Hey honey—“ Rafael said, voice soft.

“Rafi,” Sonny quickly said, “Marry me.”

Rafael paused. “Uh, Sonny? I’m peeing.”

“I can wait a second.”

Sonny waited patiently as Rafael finished and moved to wash his hands.

Rafael looked at Sonny through the mirror. “Did you really just propose in the men’s room as I...peed?”

“I...yes? Hear me out—“

“Look,” Rafael grabbed a few paper towels and finally turned to Sonny. “I know what you’re feeling, okay? I’ve seen you all go through this enough. I’ve heard Liv cry about Noah after a bad bust, I’ve seen the look on Fin and Rollin’s faces when they’re faced with what they could lose. You don’t mean this.”

“I do,” Sonny insisted. “I mean it. I want to marry you.”

Rafael reached out and touched his cheek. “You’ve had a rough day—“

“No, I love you—“

“Sonny,” Rafael sternly said, looking into Sonny’s eyes. “Ask me when you’re breathing correctly. Ask me when you’re thinking straight. Ask me when you’re not shaking. Okay?”

“You’ll say yes?” Sonny asked, clutching Rafael’s hips.

Rafael pressed up and kissed Sonny gently. “You’ll find out when you ask. You didn’t even ask, Sonny, geez. And honestly. ‘How did he propose?’ ‘It was so romantic. I was peeing.’”

Sonny huffed out a laugh.

Rafael pulled Sonny in and wrapped his arms around Sonny’s waist. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

Sonny dug his nose into Rafael’s hair. “Me too.”

———-

Rafael got the conviction they deserved. Justice to a dozen little girls was served rightly and the man was put away for a long, long time.

The squad went out to celebrate after. Sonny and Rafael almost missed their stop because they were making out in the back of a cab.

“Marry me now,” Sonny said, leaning over Rafael.

Rafael kissed his neck. “I’m sorry, are you asking me or telling me?”

“Telling.”

Rafael pulled back to lift an eyebrow at Sonny. “Oh, really?”

Sonny grinned. “Rafi, will you marry me?”

“You weren’t shot at today?”

Sonny shook his head.

“No guns?”

Sonny shook his head again.

“You’re not dying or anything?”

“I am just very, very in love with you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Rafael kissed Sonny quickly. When he pulled back, he breathed out a yes.

Sonny’s heart beat faster in no fault of danger or nerves. He was happy. More happy than he had ever been. Rafael wasn’t going anywhere. Rafael was his to keep forever.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Song: For Once in my Life by Stevie Wonder.
> 
> Prompt: I don’t think it was a prompt. It was Proposal.


End file.
